Are We Creating Survivors or Victims in Critical Care?

Are We Creating Survivors or Victims in Critical Care?

Delivering targeted nutrition to improve outcomes. Over the last 10 years, we are proud of the fact we have finally begun to reduce in-hospital mortality following severe sepsis in some countries worldwide. Further, mortality... read more

Impact of Telemedicine Monitoring of Community ICUs on Interhospital Transfers

Impact of Telemedicine Monitoring of Community ICUs on Interhospital Transfers

In a regional healthcare system, implementation of a tele-ICU program is associated with an increase in interhospital transfers from less resourced ICUs to the referral center, a trend that is not readily explained by increased... read more

High-Observation Protocol Cuts Length of Stay in Head

High-Observation Protocol Cuts Length of Stay in Head

A high-observation protocol (HOP) appears to optimize clinical care for patients with head and neck cancer undergoing primary surgery, according to a study published online June 20 in Head & Neck. The researchers found... read more

Aspirin therapy in patients with ARDS is associated with reduced ICU mortality

Aspirin therapy in patients with ARDS is associated with reduced ICU mortality

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common clinical syndrome with high mortality and long-term morbidity. To date there is no effective pharmacological therapy. Aspirin therapy has recently been shown to reduce... read more

Effective Care for High-Need Patients

Effective Care for High-Need Patients

To advance insights and perspectives on how to better manage the care of the high-need patient population, the National Academy of Medicine, with guidance from an expert planning committee, was tasked with convening three... read more

Analysis of Unplanned Postoperative Admissions to the ICU

Analysis of Unplanned Postoperative Admissions to the ICU

Our study is the first diverse analysis of unplanned postoperative ICU admissions in the literature across multiple specialties and practice models. We found an association of advanced age, higher ASA PS class, and duration... read more

A Randomized Controlled Study to Evaluate the Effect of an Enteral Formulation

A Randomized Controlled Study to Evaluate the Effect of an Enteral Formulation

A randomized controlled pilot study to evaluate the effect of an enteral formulation designed to improve gastrointestinal tolerance in the critically ill patient - the SPIRIT trial. In this pilot study, we found a high incidence... read more

Muscle Mass and Physical Recovery in ICU: Innovations for targeting of Nutrition and Exercise

Muscle Mass and Physical Recovery in ICU: Innovations for targeting of Nutrition and Exercise

New innovative techniques are demonstrating promise to target recovery from PICS utilizing a combination of objective LBM and metabolic assessment, targeted nutrition interventions, personalized exercise interventions for... read more

Evaluation of early antimicrobial therapy adaptation guided by the BetaLACTA test

Evaluation of early antimicrobial therapy adaptation guided by the BetaLACTA test

Rapid diagnostic tests detecting microbial resistance are needed for limiting the duration of inappropriateness of empirical antimicrobial therapy (EAT) in ICU patients, besides reducing the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics.... read more

Boarding ICU patients: Are our rounding practices subpar?

Boarding ICU patients: Are our rounding practices subpar?

Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) patients "boarding" in ICUs other than the designated home unit have been shown to suffer increased rates of complications. We hypothesized that ICU rounding practices are different... read more

Video Laryngoscopy for Endotracheal Intubation of Critically Ill Adults

Video Laryngoscopy for Endotracheal Intubation of Critically Ill Adults

Endotracheal intubation (EI) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients is associated with an increased risk of life-threatening adverse events due to unstable conditions, rapid deterioration, limited preparation time, and variability... read more

Sepsis and Therapeutic Interventions

Sepsis and Therapeutic Interventions

The global burden of sepsis is substantial. Therefore, in a retrospective before-after clinical study, Marik et al compared the outcome and clinical course of consecutive septic patients treated with intravenous vitamin C,... read more

Why a stay in the ICU can leave patients worse off

Why a stay in the ICU can leave patients worse off

Almost 6 million patients land in an intensive care unit every year, and for many, it marks a turning point in their lives. A substantial number of patients leave the ICU with newly acquired problems, from dementia to nerve... read more

Simulation of a Novel Schedule for Intensivist Staffing to Improve Continuity of Patient Care and Reduce Physician Burnout

Simulation of a Novel Schedule for Intensivist Staffing to Improve Continuity of Patient Care and Reduce Physician Burnout

Despite widespread adoption of in-house call for ICU attendings, there is a paucity of research on optimal scheduling of intensivists to provide continuous on-site coverage. Overnight call duties have traditionally been added... read more

A randomized trial of supplemental parenteral nutrition in underweight and overweight critically ill patients

A randomized trial of supplemental parenteral nutrition in underweight and overweight critically ill patients

Nutrition guidelines recommendations differ on the use of parenteral nutrition (PN), and existingclinical trial data are inconclusive. Our recent observational data show that amounts of energy/protein receivedearly in the... read more

Potential survival benefit of polymyxin B hemoperfusion in patients with septic shock

Potential survival benefit of polymyxin B hemoperfusion in patients with septic shock

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether polymyxin B hemoperfusion (PMX-HP) improves the survival of patients with septic shock. Our results strongly suggest that PMX-HP reduces all-cause hospital mortality and... read more

Malnutrition, Critical Illness Survivors, and Postdischarge Outcomes

Malnutrition, Critical Illness Survivors, and Postdischarge Outcomes

The exposure of interest was malnutrition determined at intensive care unit (ICU) admission by a registered dietitian using clinical judgment and on data related to unintentional weight loss, inadequate nutrient intake, and... read more